The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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20 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK NC State men's basketball coach Kevin Keatts hired former Lynchburg (Va.) E.C. Glass High head coach Roy Roberson July 2 to fill out his staff. Roberson replaced former assistant coach A.W. Hamilton, who was hired to be the head coach at Eastern Kentucky March 23. Current director of operations Thomas Carr recruited during the two April evaluation periods in Hamilton's absence, and Roberson hit the ground running at the Nike Peach Jam July 11‑15 in North Augusta, S.C., after being hired. Roberson had been the head coach at E.C. Glass High for the previous 12 years. "I've known Roy for a long time and I'm excited to add him to our basketball staff," Keatts said. "As a coach, he's won a lot of games, but it is his passion for his players and program that has always impressed me. "He has a great energy and knowledge of the game and will be a great teacher and mentor for our student‑athletes." Roberson was a standout player at Lynchburg College, tallying 1,169 career points, and he graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting in 1992. He started his own successful business — Roberson Financial Services — in 1995. Roberson started his coaching career as an assistant coach at E.C. Glass High from 1998‑2001, and he was the interim head coach during the 2001‑02 campaign. Roberson left to return to his alma mater, where he was an assistant coach at Lynch‑ burg for the 2002‑03 season. He followed up by becoming the head coach at Lynch‑ burg Holy Cross High for three years, be‑ fore returning to E.C. Glass. The opportunity to join Keatts was too good to pass up. "Coach Keatts and I have been friends for close to 30 years and I'm beyond excited to have the opportunity to join the staff of one of the brightest coaches in the business," Rober‑ son said. "There is no doubt Coach Keatts is a rising star in the profession and I'm excited to help him build NC State into one of the premier programs in college basketball. "I've been a high school coach for a long time and have always been intrigued by the college game. This felt like a great opportu‑ nity to make the transition." When Roberson took over the E.C. Glass program in 2007, the high school had not won a district game in three years. In the past eight seasons, E.C. Glass has gone 80‑ 20 in district action and reached the state semifinals in 2013. He led the team to a school‑record 26 wins in 2014‑15. Rober‑ son is a four‑time district coach of the year. ■ Red And White Notebook BY JACEY ZEMBAL Pack Bits • The NC State baseball program has hired its new pitching coach in Clint Chrysler, who had served in the same position at Winthrop for the past eight seasons. Chrysler helped Winthrop win the 2017 Big South title under head coach Tom Riginos, which was the school's first since 2003. The Eagles went 25-31 overall and 15-12 in the league this past season, and sported a 4.81 ERA with opponents hitting .269. Chrysler was a successful pitcher and hitter for Stetson, and was drafted in the 17th round by the Seattle Mari - ners in 1997. He reached the Triple-A level for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He went into coaching in 2010 and became recognized for his recruiting efforts at Winthrop, regularly helping the Eagles recruit class that were ranked in the top 100 nationally. Recent baseball Hall of Fame inductee Chipper Jones expressed his stamp of approval of the hire. "I have known Clint for almost 25 years and cannot think of someone more qualified or deserving of being the new pitching coach at NC State," Jones said. "All Wolfpack fans will come to know the same loyal, hard-working and per - sonable force that I have for all of these years. I look forward to seeing him in Omaha with the rest of the staff soon." • New NC State softball coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift added an assistant coach to complete her staff, and has also landed three transfers to bolster the roster. Former Georgia standout pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson was hired to be the Wolfpack's pitching coach. She was a graduate assistant at South Carolina last year, and is originally from Taylorsville, N.C. Wilkinson, who played at Georgia from 2013-16, finished her college career with 97 wins and had a 2.28 ERA. NC State signed transfers Brigette Nordberg from Maryland, Skylar Johnston from Fordham and Miranda Far- ricker from Arizona State. Nordberg, who played a variety of positions in the infield and outfield for the Terrapins, will have two years of eligibility remaining at NC State. Johnston will have the same amount of time left in Raleigh, after playing third base and designated player for the Rams. Farricker was the designated player her freshman year at ASU, but the infielder was injured this past season and has three years of eligibility remaining. • NC State women's basketball athletic trainer Casi Dailey had the prestigious honor of being selected to serve for the USA Basketball women's under-18 team, which played in the 2018 FIBA Americas Championships on Aug. 1-7 in Mexico City, Mexico. Dailey, who joined the NC State sports medicine staff in 2012, was part of a support staff under Louisville head coach Jeff Walz, who guided the under-18 squad to a 6-0 mark and gold medal. Roberson joins a staff for head coach Kevin Keatts that will also include holdover as- sistants from last year James Johnson and Takayo Siddle. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL NC State Men's Basketball Hires Roy Roberson As Assistant Coach Knight's cousin Dwayne Herndon is a former starting offensive lineman at NC State. Originally, Knight committed to Duke, but then he backed out before picking the Wolfpack over the Blue Devils, UNC and Virginia Tech. He also made an official visit to Purdue. Rivals.com ranks Knight a three-star recruit, the No. 20 senior in North Carolina and the No. 27 running back in the country. "He can stop on a dime and get back to his burst," Southern Nash head coach Brian Foster said. "He has good vision and, good balance. I still think he can be a whole lot better." SAFETY KHALID MARTIN Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth Martin capped the 26-hour span for NC State, which started with Harris and Knight, at his press conference July 10, announc - ing for the Wolfpack over fellow fi- nalists Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Appalachian State. The 6-1, 195-pounder is rated by Rivals.com as a three-star recruit, the No. 32 prospect in the state and the No. 49 safety nationally. Last year, Knight had 77 tackles and one sack, to go along with four interceptions and three passes broken up for a 9-5 East Forsyth squad. Three of his picks were returned for scores. "When you get a guy that is special, you have him do everything," East Forsyth head coach Todd Willert said. "We've had him at free safety, strong safety and nickel, and we'll put him out at linebacker. A lot of it depends on the scheme of the offense that we are playing." Martin burst onto the scene as a ninth grader when he was named to the MaxPreps.com Freshman All-Ameri - can team after totaling 64 tackles, four interceptions and four pass breakups that year. Of his 11 career picks, five have been returned for scores. ■